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Rob Scuderi
| birth_place = Syosset, New York | draft = 134th overall | draft_year = 1998 | draft_team = Pittsburgh Penguins | career_start = 2001 }} Rob Scuderi (born Robert John Scuderi on December 30, 1978) is an American professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing Career Rob attended St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, New York, graduating in 1997. After high school, Scuderi attended Boston College, where he played four seasons for the Eagles. Following his freshman season, when he tallied 24 assists in 42 games, Rob was drafted in the 5th round, 134th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. However, Rob remained at BC for three more years. At the end of his collegiate career he held the Eagles' record for most games played, tallying 169 appearances for the team. Rob played his final game in the 2001 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament championship game, which BC won over defending champion North Dakota, 3–2, in overtime. Pittsburgh Penguins In 2001, Rob began his professional career in the American Hockey League with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Pittsburgh Penguins' minor league affiliate. That season he played in 75 games, recording a goal and 22 assists. Rob played in his first NHL game during the 2003–04 season. After gaining 3 points in 13 games in Pittsburgh, he spent the 2004–05 season in the AHL due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout. Rob's second NHL season, the 2005–06 season was a struggle as he contributed to just 4 points in 56 games, but his reliability as a stay-at-home blue-liner meant that he earned a permanent position in Pittsburgh for the 2006–07 season, appearing in 78 games, scoring a goal and ten assists. On February 2, 2008, Rob played his 200th career NHL game versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Also on October 4, 2008, he ended a 120-game scoreless streak in Stockholm, Sweden versus the Ottawa Senators, when he scored a tying goal to get the Penguins into an overtime situation; they later won the game. On April 19, 2009, Rob recorded his first career playoff goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. During the 2009 Playoffs, Rob's Penguins teammates rechristened him with the nickname "The Piece" after he misspoke during an interview when he referred to himself as "the missing piece" to the puzzle, intending to say that he was "a piece" to the puzzle. He had previously been known simply as "Scuds", a shortening of his surname. On June 12, 2009, Rob won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Scuderi made a crucial play late in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals with the Penguins hanging on to a 2–1 lead over the Detroit Red Wings. Rob stopped a shot at a wide open net by Johan Franzen with his stick, then stopped Franzén again with his skate. He became the first Long Island native to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. Within weeks of winning the Cup, Rob hit the market as an unrestricted free agent as the Penguins could not afford him under the salary cap. Los Angeles Kings On July 2, 2009, Rob was signed by the Los Angeles Kings to a four-year, $13.6 million dollar contract. On October 3, 2009, Rob debuted for the Kings and tallied his first point, an assist to Ryan Smyth in a Los Angeles uniform in an October 8, 2009 Kings win versus the Minnesota Wild. Rob won his second Stanley Cup in four years on June 11th 2012 versus the New Jersey Devils. He took a hit early in the first period which resulted in a five-minute major penalty and 3 goals for the Kings, leading them to their first ever Stanley Cup. Second stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins On July 5, 2013, it was announced that Rob had re-signed with his former team in Pittsburgh, for a four-year, $13.5M deal. On October 26, 2013, he crashed into the boards as a result of a legal hit by the Toronto Maple Leafs' David Clarkson and was out for two months. He returned to the line-up on December 28, 2013. Chicago Blackhawks In the 2015–16 season, Rob provided 4 assists in 25 games for the Penguins before he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for fellow defenseman Trevor Daley on December 14, 2015. He made his Blackhawks debut the following day, playing alongside former Penguins defenseman Michal Rozsival in a 3-0 defeat to the Colorado Avalanche. Second stint with the Los Angeles Kings After 17 scoreless games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Rob was placed on waivers and upon clearing, he was assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs on February 17, 2016. On February 26, 2016, the Blackhawks traded him to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Christian Ehrhoff. Career Statistics Awards & Achievements Personal Life Rob grew up in Bethpage, New York. He is married to Courtney and has three children: two sons Ryan & Brett and a daughter Kate. Category:1978 births Category:Pittsburgh Penguins players Category:Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks Category:Los Angeles Kings players Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players Category:Chicago Blackhawks players Category:American ice hockey players Category:Boston College Eagles players